Nov. 09--A three-vehicle crash, including a Memphis police car, sent four people to a hospital Tuesday while another crash involving a city squad car injured one driver on Monday, according to police.
About 2:40 a.m. Tuesday a police Dodge Charger heading south on Cleveland was hit by a Toyota Yaris that ran a red light while going east on Union, a police public information officer reported. The impact of the crash caused the squad car to hit a Toyota Corolla headed north on Cleveland.
Two officers in the police car and two people in the Yaris were taken to the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, all in noncritical condition, according to police. The driver of the Yaris received a ticket.
In Monday's crash, another Dodge Charger squad car driven by officer Keith Lebo, 26, had its siren on and blue lights flashing heading west on Cottonwood when it stopped to cross Mendenhall about 8:30 a.m., according to a police crash report.
The officer, responding to help capture a burglary suspect, told traffic investigators that he pulled forward slowly after traffic stopped for his police car and then began to speed up through the intersection.
However, witnesses reported that a green, 1999 Honda CR-V driven by Caroline E. Richardson, 27, of Memphis, was heading south on Mendenhall. The Honda changed from the center of three lanes to the right lane to maneuver around at least one vehicle stopped for the police car. After entering the intersection, it was struck by the squad car.
Richardson was listed in serious condition Tuesday at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, hospital officials said. She received a citation for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, according to the crash report.
Copyright 2011 - The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.
